Homemade Sidewalk Chalk – A Fun and Easy Kids’ Craft!

I have just four letters for you today…..T. G. I. F. It has just been one of those weeks…actually it’s been a COUPLE of those weeks, but who’s counting!? :-) Anyway, it’s almost the weekend and I’m so grateful to have my new friend Jamielyn from I Heart Nap Time here today to wrap up the week with a fun and easy kids craft that I know you are going to love!

I met Jamielyn this past July when we were both part of a blogger panel at BlogHer ’13 in Chicago. Don’t you just love when you meet someone whose private persona turns out to be just as lovely at their public one? Jamielyn definitely fits the bill. Thanks for filling in Jamielyn! Take it away…………….

Hi friends! I’m Jamielyn from I Heart Nap Time and I am thrilled to be guest posting today. I absolutely LOVE One Good Thing By Jillee. She has so many wonderful tips and tricks that I love! On my blog I share easy and delicious recipes, tips and DIY crafts. I love to inspire others to get their creative juices flowing.

Today I’m going to show you how to make homemade sidewalk chalk. My kids absolutely loved this. They thought it was so fun to pick out their own colors and shapes. Plus you can make a lot of chalk for only a few bucks! I’m all about making saving where I can! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Step 1:
Combine warm water and plaster of paris in a small bowl. Stir with spoon until clumps are removed. Add paint and stir until combined.

Step 2:
Once the chalk starts to get thick (like buttercream frosting) pour mixture into molds.

Step 3:
Wipe around the edges of the mold with a damp paper towel to remove any excess paint.

Step 4:
Allow chalk to dry for at least 24 hours before using.

Take your chalk outside and let your kids go wild!

You could also place the flower chalk in a mini pot for a fun gift idea. The great thing about homemade sidewalk chalk is that it only takes 3 ingredients to make. If you’ve made my homemade chalk paint before, you’ll already have most of the ingredients on hand. Score!

Thanks for reading and thanks Jillee for having me today! Please stop by my blog to say hello! :) You can also follow along with my creative adventures on Pinterest and Facebook.

Lifestyle expert, Pinterest tastemaker and blogger at iheartnaptime.com. Jamielyn aspires to reach women, get their creative juices flowing, and to genuinely inspire. Her unique projects have been featured on many popular websites, including Fox, ABC, Huffington Post, Parents, Better Homes and Garden and more. When she’s not creating . . . Jamielyn loves to chase her two little monkeys and snuggle up on the couch with her man.

Comments

I have lost a post on a fall deco mesh wreath. I think someone had posted for you while you were working a conference. I bought my supplies and now I can’t find the post. Could you tell me where to find it? Love your information!

Though I think this would be a good idea if you wanted to make really bright, bold colors of sidewalk chalk (which are expensive in stores), I much prefer to get my sidewalk chalk at the Dollar Tree. It’s a huge pack that lasted us over a year, even sharing with other kids at the park, for just a dollar. (Just saying, so no one thinks they need to do this to save money.)

Gotta love sidewalk chalk. Here’s what we used to do for birthdays.
We lived on a corner so we had an extra long sidewalk. As people arrived they were given chalk and got one sidewalk square to create a birthday card for the honoree. Everyone got chalk and a square (even adults). The cards people created were awesome. Everything from “Where’s the Cake” to poems made up on the spot about the honoree. The artwork was phenomenal; who knew we had such artistic friends (even family who never showed that side of them before). It really kept people busy while waiting for everyone to arrive. Latecomers were still asked to complete a square before leaving.

Someone asked who had the chore of scrubbing them off–no one–we left them for the rain. The honoree read them every morning. My only regret–I never took pictures.

Making your own sounds like fun to do as a family a week or so before the party.

I’ve lined toilet paper tubes with waxed paper and made Big sticks of sidewalk chalk that have lasted along time……but alas..I just took my youngest of 4 to college and the sidewalk chalk sits in the old icecream bucket alone!